Mirror-Based Multi-Angle Inspection for Empty Crate Bottles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for inspecting empty crates with varied shaped bottles are inefficient due to imperfect imaging of bottles, requiring multiple recordings and being unable to comprehensively inspect crates without significant mechanical and financial outlay, especially when bottles are partially covered by crate walls or contain foreign objects.
Innovation Solution
The inspection device employs a mirror arrangement with multiple mirrors to guide the camera's line of sight to both sides of the bottle, allowing comprehensive imaging in multiple directions, including the use of additional cameras and lighting for thorough analysis with minimal equipment, enabling the determination of relevant parameters with high speed and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a camera is arranged above the crates to look obliquely into the crate, then the inspection can be performed, but the bottle is only imaged inadequately requiring multiple recordings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mirror arrangement that redirects the camera's line of sight to inspect bottles from multiple angles simultaneously. By using mirrors positioned at specific angles, the system achieves comprehensive imaging of bottles from front, side, and rear views in a single recording, eliminating the need for multiple recordings and improving both imaging quality and processing speed.
2Device complexity
If a single camera records from one direction, then the device is simple, but bottles covered by side walls cannot be inspected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mirrors as intermediary elements to extend the camera's inspection capability. The mirrors act as mediators that redirect light paths, allowing a single camera to effectively inspect bottles from multiple directions including areas previously blocked by crate side walls. This maintains device simplicity while achieving comprehensive inspection coverage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical solutions are used for inspecting varied shaped bottles, then inspection is possible, but the variety of shaped bottles rules out mechanical solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical inspection solutions with an optical inspection system using cameras and mirrors. This substitution allows the system to handle the great variety of shaped bottles without the complexity of mechanical adaptation mechanisms. The optical system captures images from multiple angles simultaneously, enabling comprehensive inspection of different bottle shapes, sizes, and configurations through image processing rather than mechanical manipulation.
4Reliability
If multiple cameras are added to inspect all directions, then inspection completeness improves, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses mirrors as intermediary elements to multiply the effective inspection directions from a single camera. Instead of adding multiple cameras to achieve comprehensive coverage, the mirror arrangement redirects a single camera's line of sight to inspect bottles from front, side, and rear angles simultaneously. This approach achieves complete inspection coverage while maintaining device simplicity and reducing costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for reliable and efficient inspection of bottles and crates, enabling the detection of foreign objects, damage, and non-compliant crates, facilitating their exclusion from automatic processing and ensuring high-speed parameter determination with reduced equipment costs.
Implementation Method 1
a mirror arrangement with multiple mirrors to guide the camera's line of sight to both sides of the bottle
Data Source
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AI summary
The inspection device has an electronic camera (20) and computer-assisted system for electronic image processing. Each take of the camera contains at least two individual pictures from two different directions of the object under investigation. A mirror unit (16) in the beam path between bottle/crate(13) and lens fits between the inspection position and the camera lens and is formed solely by deflection mirrors (18,19) which deflect the light rays. independent claim describes method for operating inspection device where partial images recorded from different directions are used for image analysis.